Training

This course will provide an introduction to the use of bioinformatics in biological research using publicly available data resources and tools. Participants will initially be introduced to a range of basic tools and resources applicable across a range of subject areas. To enable more specific exploration of resources in their particular field of interest, participants will then be divided into focused groups to work on a small project set by EMBL-EBI resource and research staff, ending in a presentation from each group on the final day of the course. The course will include training and mentoring provided by experts from EMBL-EBI and external institutes. The programme will be shaped according to participants’ research interests following registration.

During this course you will learn about:

• Bioinformatics basics: file formats, identifiers, ontologies
• Bioinformatics databases: Ensembl, ArrayExpress, Gene Expression Atlas, UniProt, InterPro, IntAct, Reactome, ChEMBL
• Bioinformatics tools: PICR, Blast, FASTA, Clustal Omega, network analysis tools

Please note that the course will not cover aspects of computer programming or in-depth data analysis; there will be no opportunity for you to analyse your own data during this course.

After this course you should be able to:

• Discuss applications of bioinformatics in biological research
• Browse, search, and retrieve biological data from public repositories
• Use appropriate bioinformatics tools to explore biological data
• Comprehend some ways biological data can be stored, organised and interconverted